


Settling Up

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Category: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Bisexual Female Character, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Female Characters, Female Relationships, Mild Language, POV Alternating, POV Female Character, Past Brainwashing, Past Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 13:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21374821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: The little queen has eluded her for nearly twenty years.  But tonight will right some wrongs and settle the score once and for all between them, no matter what it takes.
Relationships: Jabberwocky/Red Queen | Anastasia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2019





	Settling Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trobadora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trobadora/gifts).

> Date Written: 9-10 November 2019  
Word Count: 2700  
Written for: femslashex 2019  
Recipient: Trobadora  
Summary: The little queen has eluded her for nearly twenty years. But tonight will right some wrongs and settle the score once and for all between them, no matter what it takes.  
Spoilers: Canon divergence that takes place post-series and post-OUaT series finale, as well. Just consider everything we know in both series' canon up for grabs.  
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/   
Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: Okay, so this is the first time I've ever written for this particular pairing. I'm not 100% sure I managed to get what my recipient wanted, but I'm really hoping I did because I'm kind of proud of how this turned out. I'd had another idea that fell through a couple times, no matter how I tried to change the angle, and time was running out, then this idea came to me. I think this came out better in the end, and may open up into a possible series, but I'm not promising anything.
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual…
> 
> Beta: Not at the moment, but if you find something I missed, kindly let me know?

"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, little queen."

Just the sound of that voice sends a shiver of fear and revulsion down Anastasia's back. She hasn't heard it in years, not in person anyway. That insidious voice still haunts her dreams on the worst of her nights. It takes a moment or two to realize that she is still very much awake, unfortunately.

"What? No greeting for an old friend?" comes the sinuously sensual whisper that seems to surround her, just like it did once upon a time. "That's not very polite now, is it? Surely the White Queen has better manners than that."

"Go to hell," she whispers roughly, not even sure how her voice works past the painful lump in her throat. "You're not real. I don't know how you're here, unless this is some strange sort of waking nightmare, but you can just go back into the heavily locked room in my mind where you're _never_ to venture from again."

There's a long silence then, and Anastasia begins to feel the tension drain out of her body. She prays this is just an aberration in an otherwise lovely day spent at home in her own castle once again after a week in Storybrooke on royal council business. Clearly just a reaction to seeing where Will had spent so many years, a bittersweet longing for the man she loved and lost.

"I'll leave you now, little queen." That voice breaks into the settling calm washing over, ruining her chance at comfort again. "But I'll be back. You and I have unfinished business."

*****

Jabberwocky slinks along the hallways of the White Queen's castle, clinging to the shadows to keep from plain sight. Her ability to ferret out information based on people's fears still works as easily as breathing or as flying when she shifts into her more majestic form. Too many people fear her true form for her to move about subtly for very long, so this human form is more convenient, even if it's more limiting in scope.

She knows full well that Anastasia thinks their earlier encounter was a trick of the mind. Given what she'd done to the poor woman all those years ago at Jafar's insistence, it's not a surprise. She'd insidiously slipped into every hidden corner of the little queen's mind, sniffed out each fear and secret that she hid, then used them to break her until she was willing to beg for cessation and relief. How there was any scrap of sanity left to be cultivated and expanded upon is still a mystery to Jabberwocky. No one so broken from her tortures should ever be able to find even a scrap of sanity again, let alone thrive as Anastasia so obviously has.

The little queen has eluded her for nearly twenty years. But tonight will right some wrongs and settle the score once and for all between them, no matter what it takes. She hates loose ends and this particular one has rankled for far longer than it should have, lending itself a kind of insanity that is intended for her victims, not herself.

*****

The maids have left after drawing the water for her bath, giving her the blessed solitude she craves. Her mind has been on that strange daytime nightmare of the Jabberwocky all day, making her short-tempered and angry with everyone. She thought she'd gotten as over that whole nightmare as she could over the years. Will had helped, of course, when he was still alive, as had their friends, both past and present, and the nightmares had been few and far between. But now?

"Why now?" she wonders aloud, body still tense in water almost too hot for comfort. Magic brings bath oils that smell of rosemary and mint. Her maids still never put in enough to soothe mind and body when she needs it. The steam rising off the water carries the scent, surrounding her in the comforting scents, letting her finally start to relax.

"You've kept yourself hidden from me, little queen."

Anastasia stiffens, heart trip-hammering in her chest until she swears it will burst forth to escape, but otherwise remains absolutely still and silent. The memories of her torture at this woman's -- no, this _beast's_ \-- hands come rushing back and tears blur her vision. The impulsive need to duck under the water in an attempt to hide hits hard, but she knows it won't matter. The Jabberwocky has been in her mind before and could easily do it again.

"On my honor, I'm not here to harm you, little queen."

"Y-You have no honor," she manages to spit out, hating herself for stumbling over the first word. "If you truly had honor, you would come to me in the light of da--"

"I did that," comes that smooth, sibilant tone, interrupting her. "You sent me away."

"You lurk in the shadows, unbidden, uninvited, and unwanted, just as you always have." Anastasia feels a tiny bit of strength empowering herself as she continues to speak, a reminder that she is not the girl she once was. "You have no honor."

"You wound me, little queen. I've come with a peace offering and you refuse me the chance to give it to you?"

That gets her attention, and she sits up more regally before remembering that she's naked beneath the water, grateful for the bubbles covering her. "If you truly have good intentions with this peace offering, you'll wait in my sitting room until I'm finished here."

"As you wish, little queen."

*****

Jabberwocky paces the elegantly decorated sitting room like a caged animal as she waits for Anastasia to finish with her elaborate bathing ritual. She wonders briefly if she's said too much already, but realizes it no longer matters. Once Anastasia sees what she's brought, she'll understand exactly what is at stake here. She stands before the fireplace, soaking in the heat coming from the merrily blazing fire, her more feline tendencies relishing the warmth. Not even her draconic heat can always keep her warm enough in certain of the realms. This castle has always given off a much chillier vibe than she's comfortable with, though it's warmer now with the little queen in residence. 

Funny that.

She takes a sip of the goblet of blood red wine sitting on the little table next to the chair before the fire that is clearly Anastasia's. It smells strongly of her, and Jabberwocky finds the scent oddly compelling, senses torn between predator and protector. She settles on the floor in front of the chair, leaning against it with her cheek on the seat as she lets the fire continue to add to her internal warmth. The sensations lull her into a kind of complacence that is comforting for possibly the first time in her long existence.

"You look rather cozy." Anastasia's voice is cold, regally flat, but holds the faintest thrum of warm curiosity and fear. It's enough to pull her from her thoughts and back into the present and her reason for being here. "But you're blocking my chair."

Jabberwocky gets to her feet smoothly, sketching a rough bow in the process as she backs away from the chair. She notices that Anastasia is wrapped in a heavy fur robe, skin pink from the heat of the water she'd sensed in that tub. As the little queen settles in her chair, Jabberwocky begins to pace before her.

"Why are you here, Jabberwocky?" 

The question finally comes after what feels simultaneously like an eternity of pacing under her scrutiny and the blink of an eye. She turns fluidly to face the woman she once tortured -- the last woman she tortured -- and meets her gaze openly.

"I have come with a peace offering."

"So you mentioned." Those pale eyes narrow suspiciously. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I learned a valuable lesson all those years ago and I've a debt to repay to you."

She _itches_ to slip into the little queen's mind, get a deeper sense of what she's thinking and feeling beyond the tantalizing tidbits wafting her way, but that is no longer how she does things. Instead, she relies on the patience that is borne of her kind and simply… _waits_.

"And what, pray tell, is this valuable lesson you learned? And why take so long to repay the debt?"

"Those are fair questions to ask, little queen."

"Will you _stop_ calling me that?" There's an edge of hysteria to her tone that sends a stab of regret through Jabberywocky's heart. It was her doing that made Anastasia feel this way. "If this is all just some sport to you, you can leave now."

"My apologies, Your Majesty," she replies, dropping into a deep genuflection. "I only meant to offer you respect in the sobriquet, nothing more, nothing less. I shall stick to your honorific instead." When Anastasia doesn't respond, she takes a deep breath and continues. "I spent many years pinned to that wall by the Vorpal Blade, thanks to Jafar double-crossing me after what he did to you. He perverted the very essence of magic for how own selfish gains and paid the penultimate price for it. What I did to you, for him, was wrong. To that end, I come to give you this."

It takes a moment to steel herself to do it, but she pulls the silk and leather wrapped package from the pocket in her cloak and kneels down to offer it to Anastasia. This is the ultimate in trust and she knows it, but it's what she must do. She can feel the little queen unwrapping the package, then gasp at the sight of the naked blade.

"What is this?"

"You know what this is and what it can do to me."

"This… Jabberwocky, this is your death sentence, should I choose to use it thus. Why would you _willingly_ give it to me? Is this some trick of the mind? Do you deceive me to torture me again?"

"I do no such thing, li-- Your Majesty. I offer the Vorpal Blade into your possession to use as you choose, either to keep it and myself safe or to use to vanquish me. It is entirely your choice and I will not fight it should you choose the latter."

"Why?" The steely curiosity in her tone gives Jabberwocky pause -- and hope -- toward her intentions.

"As I said, I had much time to consider my choices over the course of my long life. I was wrong in partaking in _your_ torture, particularly in the methods used. I wish you no further harm, Your Majesty, and would like to use this opportunity to begin to make amends for what I did. I will give you free access to my own mind by any means you choose, if you'd like to test the veracity of my words."

*****

Anastasia stares at her for a long moment, feeling the power of the Vorpal Blade thrumming under her fingers. It would be so easy to summon her magic right now and stab that thing through Jabberwocky's heart, slice through her throat, any number of ways to kill her. But she doesn't. She finds herself curious as to what the beast's motives really are. Of course, she knows this could all be a deadly trap, but still…

"Give me the access. If I find out you're lying, you'll be dead."

"I understand."

The Jabberwocky reaches into her cloak to pull out a small vial, which is brought up to her face to extract two tears, one from each eye, a drop of blood from her finger nicked by the tip of the Vorpal Blade, and a small bit of air breathed into it. Once swirled around together, she offers the vial to Anastasia before settling on the floor, cross-legged.

"All you need to do is drink that, and you'll have access to my mind for ten minutes' time. I won't fight you."

Anastasia drains the vial and closes her eyes against the sudden sensation of vertigo, gripping the hilt of the Vorpal Blade tightly. When she opens her eyes again, the room takes on an eerie, otherworldly glow, and the Jabberwocky sparkles, as does everything else touched by magic in the room. And then, as she closes her eyes again, she feels and hears Jabberwocky's thoughts. She finds herself in a forest with small hillock-style caves at regular intervals. She pokes her head into a few of them, getting a feel for the thoughts and memories associated with each, but there's one that calls to her. Knowing she has little time for this venture, she goes to that one cave and steps in, praying it's not a trap.

*****

Jabberwocky can feel Anastasia in her mind. The sensation is both disconcerting and comforting at the same time. Her skin crawls with the effort not to force the little queen out of her head, even as her heart feels at peace with the gentle touch used to sift through her memories.

Given the gift she has for slipping into people's minds to read and torture for information, she knows how her own mind is laid out. She knows exactly where Anastasia is at any given-- _No! Not there!_ She trembles at the thought of Anastasia stepping into _that_ cave in her mind. She meant to hide that one away, obscure it in the shadows where no one could find it, no matter what. But Anastasia is boldly stepping inside as if she owns it.

Jabberwocky's heart spasms painfully and she realizes that's not an entirely wrong assessment.

"What was that?"

Not the words she expects to hear from the little queen at the conclusion of this exercise, but better than what she could've said. It still leaves Jabberwocky at a loss for words, reeling yet from the knowledge that Anastasia found her way into a corner of her mind that was meant to remain locked away for eternity. The knowledge contained in that particular cave could be highly detrimental to her future existence should it fall into the wrong hands.

"I asked you a question, Jabberwocky, and I would like an answer." There's no sting to the words, just a gentle curiosity and timidity that calls to both predator and protector.

"What you saw in my mind was truth, no subterfuge," she finally answers, eyes closing against the potential sting of death to come at the little queen's hand. "Does that answer your question?"

Instead of the barrage of questions for clarification that she expects, Jabberwocky instead feels the warmth of Anastasia's plump lips against hers. She returns it cautiously, unsure now if this is a test of her own to attempt to pass, but unwilling to ignore the opportunity laid out before her. She fights the urge to touch the little queen, feel that soft skin and silky hair under her fingers again, this time without the infliction of fear and pain.

"If this is a game of yours," Anastasia says, panting softly when she eventually pulls back from the kiss, "I will kill you slowly with the Vorpal Blade."

"I understand," Jabberwocky whispers emotionally.

"If this is a dream, I hope never to wake up. But if this is true, I am willing to see where it will take us. _Slowly_. There are things I still cannot forgive you for, and may never be able to. But if the Evil Queen and the Queen of Hearts, among others, can get second chances at redemption after their evil, cruel deeds, who am I to deny you the same opportunity, Jabberwocky?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored by your benevolence."

There's a faint blush coloring Anastasia's cheeks and she bites her bottom lip before whispering, "Call me _little queen_ again, if you meant it as you seemed to in your mind."

That makes Jabberwocky smile and nuzzle press their foreheads together. "My little queen, I am yours to command as you choose. My body and my heart are yours, just as the Vorpal Blade now is, if you so choose to accept them."

"You'll need to earn that honor, but I think we're off to a good start."


End file.
